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Gong W, Wu X. Differential Diagnosis of Latent Tuberculosis Infection and Active Tuberculosis: A Key to a Successful Tuberculosis Control Strategy. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:745592. [PMID: 34745048 PMCID: PMC8570039 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.745592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
As an ancient infectious disease, tuberculosis (TB) is still the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide. Latent TB infection (LTBI) has been recognized as the largest source of new TB cases and is one of the biggest obstacles to achieving the aim of the End TB Strategy. The latest data indicate that a considerable percentage of the population with LTBI and the lack of differential diagnosis between LTBI and active TB (aTB) may be potential reasons for the high TB morbidity and mortality in countries with high TB burdens. The tuberculin skin test (TST) has been used to diagnose TB for > 100 years, but it fails to distinguish patients with LTBI from those with aTB and people who have received Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccination. To overcome the limitations of TST, several new skin tests and interferon-gamma release assays have been developed, such as the Diaskintest, C-Tb skin test, EC-Test, and T-cell spot of the TB assay, QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube, QuantiFERON-TB Gold-Plus, LIAISON QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus test, and LIOFeron TB/LTBI. However, these methods cannot distinguish LTBI from aTB. To investigate the reasons why all these methods cannot distinguish LTBI from aTB, we have explained the concept and definition of LTBI and expounded on the immunological mechanism of LTBI in this review. In addition, we have outlined the research status, future directions, and challenges of LTBI differential diagnosis, including novel biomarkers derived from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and hosts, new models and algorithms, omics technologies, and microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenping Gong
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xueqiong Wu
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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Mirzaei R, Babakhani S, Ajorloo P, Ahmadi RH, Hosseini-Fard SR, Keyvani H, Ahmadyousefi Y, Teimoori A, Zamani F, Karampoor S, Yousefimashouf R. The emerging role of exosomal miRNAs as a diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Mol Med 2021; 27:34. [PMID: 33794771 PMCID: PMC8017856 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-021-00296-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), has been the world's driving fatal bacterial contagious disease globally. It continues a public health emergency, and around one-third of the global community has been affected by latent TB infection (LTBI). This is mostly due to the difficulty in diagnosing and treating patients with TB and LTBI. Exosomes are nanovesicles (40-100 nm) released from different cell types, containing proteins, lipids, mRNA, and miRNA, and they allow the transfer of one's cargo to other cells. The functional and diagnostic potential of exosomal miRNAs has been demonstrated in bacterial infections, including TB. Besides, it has been recognized that cells infected by intracellular pathogens such as Mtb can be secreting an exosome, which is implicated in the infection's fate. Exosomes, therefore, open a unique viewpoint on the investigative process of TB pathogenicity. This study explores the possible function of exosomal miRNAs as a diagnostic biomarker. Moreover, we include the latest data on the pathogenic and therapeutic role of exosomal miRNAs in TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasoul Mirzaei
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
- Venom and Biotherapeutics Molecules Lab, Medical Biotechnology Department, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Sajad Babakhani
- Department of Microbiology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parisa Ajorloo
- Department of Biology, Sciences and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Razieh Heidari Ahmadi
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Reza Hosseini-Fard
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Keyvani
- Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yaghoub Ahmadyousefi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Ali Teimoori
- Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Farhad Zamani
- Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sajad Karampoor
- Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Rasoul Yousefimashouf
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
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Immunological Characterization of Proteins Expressed by Genes Located in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Specific Genomic Regions Encoding the ESAT6-like Proteins. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9010027. [PMID: 33430286 PMCID: PMC7825740 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9010027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The 6 kDa early secreted antigen target (ESAT6) is a low molecular weight and highly immunogenic protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with relevance in the diagnosis of tuberculosis and subunit vaccine development. The gene encoding the ESAT6 protein is located in the M. tuberculosis-specific genomic region known as the region of difference (RD)1. There are 11 M. tuberculosis-specific RDs absent in all of the vaccine strains of BCG, and three of them (RD1, RD7, and RD9) encode immunodominant proteins. Each of these RDs has genes for a pair of ESAT6-like proteins. The immunological characterizations of all the possible proteins encoded by genes in RD1, RD7 and RD9 have shown that, besides ESAT-6 like proteins, several other proteins are major antigens useful for the development of subunit vaccines to substitute or supplement BCG. Furthermore, some of these proteins may replace the purified protein derivative of M. tuberculosis in the specific diagnosis of tuberculosis by using interferon-gamma release assays and/or tuberculin-type skin tests. At least three subunit vaccine candidates containing ESAT6-like proteins as antigen components of multimeric proteins have shown efficacy in phase 1 and phase II clinical trials in humans.
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Whitlow E, Mustafa AS, Hanif SNM. An Overview of the Development of New Vaccines for Tuberculosis. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8040586. [PMID: 33027958 PMCID: PMC7712106 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8040586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, there is only one licensed vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG). Despite its protective efficacy against TB in children, BCG has failed to protect adults against pulmonary TB, lacks therapeutic value, and causes complications in immunocompromised individuals. Furthermore, it compromises the use of antigens present in the purified protein derivate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the diagnosis of TB. Many approaches, e.g., whole-cell organisms, subunit, and recombinant vaccines are currently being explored for safer and more efficacious TB vaccines than BCG. These approaches have been successful in developing a large number of vaccine candidates included in the TB vaccine pipeline and are at different stages of clinical trials in humans. This paper discusses current vaccination strategies, provides directions for the possible routes towards the development of new TB vaccines and highlights recent findings. The efforts for improved TB vaccines may lead to new licensed vaccines capable of replacing/supplementing BCG and conferring therapeutic value in patients with active/latent TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Whitlow
- Department of Basic Sciences, Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Pikeville, Pikeville, KY 41501, USA;
| | - A. S. Mustafa
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Safat 13110, Kuwait;
| | - S. N. M. Hanif
- Department of Basic Sciences, Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Pikeville, Pikeville, KY 41501, USA;
- Correspondence:
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